DESCRIPTION

An Introduction to Persian is intended to serve as an introduction on the elementary level to the modern Persian language. Each lesson is provided with specific exercises and drills for the major grammatical and syntactical points introduced therein. Vocabulary are included at the end of each lesson are intended for active acquisition. Specialized supplementary vocabulary lists are also scattered throughout the book. In part two of the grammar, the outstanding differences between modern and classical usage are given. In part three the distinguishing features of ordinary colloquial Persian are given.

KEY TO EXERCISES

REVIEWS

“… students, frustrated by not being taught formal structures, long for a grammar book that brings together in one place paradigms and rules for how the language works instead of being faced with endless patterns for oral drill. This is why W.M. Thackston’s An Introduction to Persian should be welcomed by students and teachers alike, since it amply fulfills this need.… Language teaching is a slave to fashion, a fact often obscured by the theoretical and methodological passions of professional language teachers. When compared with Lambton’s Persian Grammar, the only other important teaching grammar in print, Thackston’s book meets current needs more adequately.”

— William L. Hanaway, University of Pennsylvania. British Journal of Middle East Studies

“This long awaited text once more demonstrates Professor Thackston’s mastery over the Persian language and its intricacies, both in its modern and classical form. Thackston makes Persian grammar clear and understandable. His emphasis is on the spoken and written language in today's Iran, on the Persian which is taught in schools and spoken and understood by all the different ethnic groups in Iran…. This new edition is a major contribution for those involved in teaching the Persian language. It also makes the learning of Persian more accessible and enjoyable.”

“…Thackston’s new edition which it must be said is difficult to fault. It is both meticulous and systematic, without being idiosyncratic. …a number of points that are a common source of error are well treated (such as relative clauses, the subjunctive, ra). …In particular, the relationship between modern colloquial speech, educated usage, and the classical language is treated in some detail, with more success than in any previous manual. So long as there exists no introduction to Persian as an international language, treating its various forms on a relatively equal basis, this feature of Thackston's work makes it the most useful for serious students of Persian as it is used outside of Iran.”